Chris Farley

Actor / Comedian

Born: 15 February 1964

Died: 18 December 1997 (drug overdose)

Birthplace: Madison, Wisconsin

Best known as:

Star of TV's Saturday Night Live

Chris Farley got his early comic training with Chicago's famous Second City comedy troupe. Later he became the popular big-pudgy-guy cast member of TV's Saturday Night Live and then moved into feature films. He was known for his collaborations with comedian David Spade; they appeared together in the films Tommy Boy (1995), Black Sheep (1996) and Coneheads (1993). Farley was found dead in his Chicago apartment in December of 1997; an autopsy indicated he died of an accidental overdose of cocaine and morphine, with coronary atherosclerosis -- a narrowing of the heart arteries -- a contributing factor.

Extra credit:

Chris Farley's best-known character on Saturday Night Live was clumsy motivational speaker Matt Foley, who warned kids they could end up living "...in a van down by the river!"